Report: White House document shows Arizona in coronavirus “red zone”
Jul 19, 2020, 5:30 AM
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
PHOENIX — Arizona is in the “red zone” for coronavirus cases and positive test percentage, according to a July 14 document prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force that was obtained by the Center For Public Integrity.
States in the COVID-19 cases red zone had at least 100 new cases per 100,000 people last week. Those in the test positive red zone had at least a 10% positive test rate.
Arizona was one of 18 states in the cases red zone and one of 11 in the positive test red zone, according to the document.
Arizona had 349 cases per 100,000 people, almost three times the national average of 119 cases.
The test positivity rate in the state was 21.6%, more than twice as much as the national average of 9.6%.
Arizona did do more testing than the national average. The state completed 1,529 tests per 100,000 people, ahead of the 1,172 in the country.
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While there was a slight decrease of 1.4% in positive tests from the week prior, the number of coronavirus-related deaths had increased in Arizona. Four of every 100,000 people in the state were killed by it. That’s far more than the national average of one per 100,000 people.
The document gave recommendations including wearing masks, continuing the bar and gym closures, limiting public gatherings to 10 people or less in red zones and limiting dining capacity to 25% or moving all dining outdoors.
Additionally, continued testing and contact tracing is vital. Households that have a positive test should isolate and then do a follow-up test. Community-led testing should be used to increase local access, and local groups should help with messaging.
In yellow zones, which are localities in which 10 to 100 new cases per 100,000 people, regulations can be slightly more lax.
People are still recommended to wear masks in public, but public gatherings can be 25 or fewer people.
Gym capacity can be limited to 25% occupancy, but bars and nightclubs were recommended to remain closed until positive rates were below 3%.
Prescott and Payson were the two areas listed on the document as Arizona yellow zones.
